Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen
by DigiFox0
Summary: 30 Day OTP Challenge. A series of 30 short fics using the 30 Day OTP Challenge Prompts. Akira/Makoto. Mostly Fluff. Some potential background shipping. Rated T for the future. Current Prompt: Day 8 - Shopping. New cover art by JXA.
1. Day 1 - Holding Hands

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 1 - Holding Hands

xxx

A/N: Surprise bitch, bet you thought you'd seen the last of me ;) So I thought i'd do a thing. Persona 5 was good. Re-energized me creatively a lot. That and I had this idea in bed earlier and i was like "I should write this down" and thought "It's been like 2 years, let's do another one!" So here we are. I hope you guys enjoy this new series. It's gonna be a fun month! Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Rain lightly pattered against the windows of LeBlanc, fragmenting the light of the streetlamps through the raindrops. Inside, two young students sat on a dusty old couch (older than the both of them, by all accounts) pouring over a set of textbooks. The first was a young woman, her features arranged in a studious visage. The other, a frizzy haired man trying desperately to listen to what she was trying to teach him.

Makoto Niijima was attempting in vain to teach Akira Kurusu these mathematical formulae that he _did_ need to know (Despite his protests) but she could see that he was getting restless. He was spinning his phone atop his finger, and only sort of half paying attention to her teachings. They'd been at this for hours, and while Akira's mind was as sharp as her own, he did lack her focus when it came to academics somewhat. It was frustrating.

"Could you at least pretend you're paying attention" Makoto chided.

"Huh?" the boy replied, startled, almost dropping his phone as her scolding caught him off guard. She had to stifle a laugh

"This is important stuff, Akira, you should at least try. You'll need it for the exams."

"I'll wing it" he said, kicking back

"You will not 'wing it'. I don't care if you're the illustrious Phantom Thief, you need to pass your exams. If you start failing, the school will kick you out. Your probation officer would look into it and they might take you to juvenile hall. We can't have that" Makoto said, with a look of concern adorning her pretty face.

"I think you're looking just a little too far ahead there" Akira laughed, as he placed a hand on her arm. She had to stop herself from jumping backwards at his touch, and instead pouted, slightly.

"You _need_ to take this stuff seriously though…" she muttered

"Can we at least take a break? Just for ten minutes."

Makoto weighed up the option in her head. Studies had shown that short breaks did increase effectiveness in information retention. She took breaks herself when she studied alone too, perhaps she just forgot because of her determination to help him pass his exams? That and she wanted to relax with him. It had been a while since they had any free time together after all…

"I guess one break couldn't hurt" she conceded

"Great!" Akira said with excitement as he stood up. "I'll put on some coffee"

"Sounds good" she smiled.

As he hurried downstairs, Makoto couldn't help but think back on her time with the boy. When she first met him, she was incredibly suspicious. He had to be up to something. After all, he was the infamous transfer student. He had ties to Kamoshida, who suspiciously confessed all his sins _days_ after Akira arrived. He was hanging around with other delinquents. After a while, her pursuit of the boy became her sole motivation. She dedicated herself entirely to it. Asking around after him, following him after school, she even went through his locker. She left no stone unturned. He was kind of… exciting. He was potentially dangerous, good-looking and a bit of a bad boy. In retrospect, perhaps her investigation into him wasn't _entirely_ professional.

After joining Akira's outfit of Phantom Thieves, she couldn't help but admire him even more. While Akira may not have been too focused on academics, when he put on his mask, he was a force of nature. He gave out orders left and right as a true leader would, he moved methodically and quietly, like a shadow in the night, and his enemies never saw him coming. Behind his eyes was the fire of determination. It was the same look that Makoto's sister, Sae, had at the start of her career. It was also the same look Makoto's father had when he was still alive. It was a need to prove his justice to the world.

That drew him to her even more. Eventually her little crush on him developed in a big way. She'd started absentmindedly writing his name in the corner of her notebooks, and found her mind wandering to him on long, lonely nights. All the times where the two of them had to pretend to be a couple didn't help either. It was torturous. Makoto just wanted to hold his hand in hers for real, and not as an act. She was fairly sure that he liked her too, they talked all the time and was pretty sure that a few of his texts could be considered flirting. However, while Makoto was a sharp student, a dutiful lieutenant, and a fierce combatant she was inexperienced on the battlefield of the heart…

It was as that thought crossed her mind that Akira returned with two steaming cups of coffee. She snapped out of her reverie and smiled as he approached, taking the cup from him and sipping at the liquid inside.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed, with genuine surprise. She had no idea he had this kind of talent.

"It's ok I guess" the boy laughed as he leaned back and took a long sip of his own drink. "The flavour profile is a little bland though, and the beans I used could have worked better together…" he looked contemplative as he stared into the coffee. Makoto couldn't help but giggle

"You know if you put in half as much effort to your studies as you do to your coffee, you'd get straight A's for sure" she teased. "But i'm kinda surprised, I didn't think this kind of thing would interest you"

"I have many hidden talents" Akira boasted with a wink. "For instance, did you know i'm a fortune teller?"

Makoto just blinked, shocked, unsure how to respond. Eventually, she decided to laugh again.

"Oh my god, no you're not!"

"I am, here give me your hand, i'll read your palm" he said, completely sincere.

Makoto was somewhat hesitant to do this. She never really put any stock in fortune telling. It wasn't really her bag. Did he believe in fate and stuff? It was kind of endearing, to be honest. It was nice to humanise Akira a little bit. That and it was cute that he was something of a dreamer…

"Ok then, Kazuko" she mocked as she outstretched her hand "Tell me everything"

Akira smirked his boyish smirk (Which made Makoto's heart melt just a little bit) as he took her hand. She was somewhat surprised at how soft his hands were. She had always built up this idea in her head that his hands would be rough and calloused from the battles in the Metaverse. He did wear gloves though, and he was always adjusting them. Maybe that's why?

Akira ran his fingers over Makoto's outstretched palm. It tickled her somewhat, so she let out a small giggle. Was that it? Or was she nervous? She didn't really care at this point…

"Hmm…" he said, studying her hand. Was he being serious about this? A few minutes went by in complete silence.

"Umm…" Makoto said, breaking the silence. "Well what do you see?"

"Huh?" Akira said, blinking. "Sorry, i got distracted for a second. Let's see…"

 _Distracted by what?_ Makoto couldn't help but think…

"So, money-wise, you'll live comfortably" Akira explained while running his fingers over the same spot over and over again. "You'll live a reasonably long life… And have two, wait no, three children"

Children? Makoto herself hadn't even thought that far ahead…

"At school you're gonna do better than fine, but we both could have guessed that. In terms of your love life…"

Love life? Wait where exactly was he going with this.

"You're only going to have one long term relationship in your life. But, you're gonna be happy with them."

Makoto's mind couldn't help but wonder at that. What if this relationship was Akira. What if the three kids she was meant to have were his? Would they get a little place in the country? Yasoinaba was a pretty nice place and house prices were through the floor…

"Hey you wanna know the best news?" Akira said, his words pulling her back to reality.

"What's that?" Makoto said, almost breathless

"This person has already come into your life" he said, with a smile

"Really? Do you know who they are?"

"I thought you didn't buy into all this?" Akira smirked

"I don't!" Makoto defended. "I'm just interested, intellectually"

"Sure" he laughed "Well, he's close to you. He's plucky and adventurous. A little bit sassy, he lives in Yongen… In a coffee house? That's surprising." 

Makoto's heart skipped a beat. Just where was he going with this?

"Black hair, too. And a little bit of a rogue…" another smirk played across his lips. Makoto's heart was about to give out it was pounding so fast.

"Wait, i'm getting an image of him in my head" Akira said, still smirking.

"Who is it?" Makoto urged him. "Tell me, please" she tried to sound forceful but her voice was shaking.

"It's… a cat"

Makoto's expression turned to one of irritation when she realised that Akira was describing Morgana. She snatched her hand away

"I'm not marrying a cat" she said, completely deadpan

"Come on, imagine how cute your kids would be!" he joked, barely able to contain his laughter

"I knew this was a waste of time" Makoto said as she leaned back into her books.

"Hey" Akira said, this time he grabbed her hand in earnest and cupped it in his own. She had to fight the blush rising in her cheeks. "These things aren't set in stone, fate can be changed"

"I hope so…" Makoto muttered. "I'd like my future husband to at least be human…"

"What about everything else?" Akira asked.

"What do you mean?" Makoto replied, somewhat taken aback.

"How about all the other stuff about him?" his eyes were completely sincere. Behind that was almost a look of longing… She really couldn't figure him out.

"I guess…" Makoto said, unable to suppress the blush in her face anymore "It wouldn't be so bad…" she barely squeaked out.

"I'm glad you feel that way" he smiled, cupping her hands even tighter.

Makoto couldn't contain the smile on her face...


	2. Day 2 - Cuddling

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 2 - Cuddling

xxx

A/N: Ahoy :) So much like my other 30 Day OTP Challenge thing (It's a Yu/Rise fic, it's pretty OK. I like it at least) these prompts aren't in like chronological order or anything. I kinda just go where it tells me to go and I do the thing. So expect me to be playing fast and loose with the calendar aha. In addition, these might not be 30 consecutive days due to my work and stuff xD And thanks for all the faves and follows and reviews so far. Each one makes me swell with pride :D Regardless, Enjoy :)

Xxx

Makoto didn't feel uncomfortable very often.

Anxious, yes. Out of her depth sometimes even, but uncomfortable no. It just wasn't in her nature. She had to keep a good head on her shoulders, her sister told her that's what strong people do. However, when it came to public displays of affection, she felt somewhat disillusioned.

In this case it was even worse.

She had been hanging out with Akira when the incident happened. It was all fairly innocuous. The leader of the Phantom Thieves and his dutiful lieutenant were in the cafe that the former called home, enjoying one another's company. They often hung out like this, discussing various aspects of their operations or school work. They usually just ended up chatting about their personal lives however. Through these conversations, Makoto had learned he was an only child, he had a penchant for late night walks and had a latent skill for cooking. She enjoyed these talks, they made her feel like she had somewhere to belong, where she didn't have to live up to unrealistic expectations.

At the same time, she was texting her friend Eiko. Eiko was… unique. Not the kind of person Makoto would normally associate with. She was scatterbrained, misdirected, loud. Qualities Makoto somewhat looked up to. In many ways she was free.

"I swear you spend way too much time on your phone" the frizzy haired guy chuckled, sipping on some coffee. "The world won't end if you take a night off, Makoto"

"It's not work i swear" Makoto laughed back. "I'm talked to Eiko. She's talking all about her boyfriend again" Makoto's face dropped into a look of concern

"You're still looking into it, right?" Akira asked, leaning forward.

"I am but it's hard... She's really interested in…" Makoto's eyes dropped to the ground and she could feel a blush rise in her cheeks as she searched for the right word. "Us".

Makoto was quite simply worried about her friend. Her new beau, Tuskasa, was an older guy who was known on the Host Club circuit. She didn't want to see her friend throw her life away because a guy swoops in with honeyed words and fancy gifts. In order to gather intel on them, Makoto had recruited Akira to pretend to be her boyfriend. This way the four of them could go on double dates while under the guise of investigation. This left Makoto with some conflicted feelings somewhat regarding her leader.

Was her crush on him genuine or something born of this sting operation?

Either way it killed her that she had to mask her true feelings for him, while simultaneously feeding those feelings during their investigations together.

"She's a teenage girl" Akira said, with his trademark smirk playing on his lips "It's only natural she's interested in me"

Makoto had to laugh. Akira had this interesting duality to him. Whenever he was in public he always seemed so meek and inoffensive. However when they were in the Metaverse (Or if he was in private, among friends) his attitude was dripping with sass and self-confidence.

"Not _you_. _Us_ " Makoto stressed. "She keeps asking me questions about it. Here look at this"

Makoto slid her phone across the table to Akira.

"I'm pretty sure this isn't Japanese" he said, perplexed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Her writing style is somewhat… unique" Makoto chuckled "She's asking if i'm with you right now. She keeps on asking. She's really into it"

"What do you tell her?" the boy said, handing the phone back to the brunette.

Makoto was confused. "The truth?" her face a mask of bewilderment.

"You're not great at the spy stuff, huh?" Akira smiled, somewhat sarcastically. "Tell her we've just come out of a movie and are waiting for our dinner to arrive"

"But we're not doing that?"

"You have to pique her interest. Give a little, take a lot that sort of thing" Akira informed her, leaning back in the booth.

That was another thing that Makoto admired about Akira. His ability to make friends and influence people was amazing. Makoto was pretty bad at it, she had trouble getting people connecting with people for whatever reason, but Akira could do it as easily as she got dressed in the morning. She sent her reply to Eiko and one came back almost immediately.

"I don't believe you Mako-Channnn!~ You guys only hang out when you're with me and Tsukasa!"

"Huh" Akira observed as Makoto read her reply aloud. "She's seeing through the ruse."

"She might be on a different wavelength to most but she's not stupid that's for sure…"

"I have an idea" Akira said, his eyes barely masking a playful look. "We just need to prove we're together right?"

"Your point?" Makoto asked, listening intently.

"So let's take a photo together"

Makoto inwardly cursed herself for not suggesting that sooner. Such a simple suggestion! Akira stood up from his seat and switched sides to sit next to Makoto. He offered to take the shot, Makoto was infamously bad at taking selfies. She wasn't sure what comprised a good angle.

"Hey" Akira suggested. "I've just had a thought, we're supposed to be on a date right?"

"Yeah…" Makoto responded "This doesn't look particularly romantic huh? I mean there's no candles or anything"

"That's what you find romantic?" Akira chuckled

"It is romantic!" Makoto argued "Soft lighting makes people more perceptive to romance! And it makes people look more attractive!"

"What are you trying to say? That i'm not good looking?" Akira teased. Makoto couldn't help but fall for his bait however

"I did _not_ say that!"

"So you do think i'm hot?"

"No! Wait I mean… This is no fair! You're taking advantage of my inexperience again!" Makoto's face was red as a beet. At this point she'd rather deal with a hundred Kaneshiros than he embarrassment

"I'm just teasing" The boy laughed "You're cute when you're flustered"

"Stop talking" Makoto said, unable to keep Akira's gaze. "Just… what's your idea?"

"We need to make things look more date-ey" he said "So i'm gonna put my arm around you. Is that ok?"

Makoto didn't really know how to respond. On one hand, this was for their investigation, it was work it was important. However, if he did, she might just die of a sudden stroke caused by embarrassment. But then again, she wanted more than anything for Akira to hold her close and not let go…

"Let's do it" Makoto nodded, her resolve showing in her confident tone.

She felt Akira's long arm reach around her back and his hand hit its mark on her arm. Her breath quickened, her heart started to race. She found herself unsure where to look.

"You need to lean into me a bit" Akira said in a low, gruff, tone, his voice shaking Makoto to her core. Makoto needed to get over her embarrassment and she needed to do it now. She wanted this. She knew she did. Her feelings were definitely real. She should enjoy this. If they ever got together, they'd be doing it a lot. She might as well start having fun…

Makoto leaned into Akira's body, resting her head against him. She looked up at Akira, who was looking down at her. Their eyes met and Makoto saw something in him she wasn't expecting. He was contented. He was happy they were doing this.

And yet there was something else there that she couldn't quite place. A longing for something more…

Akira gestured his head towards the camera, indicating that they should both look at it to take the shot. After a few seconds, the two of them reviewed it. They looked like a happy, normal couple, winding down their evening together.

"It's good" Makoto smiled

"Yeah…" Akira replied, matching her expression. He sent the photo to Eiko. And then the two of them just stayed there, the boy holding the young woman, pulling her close.

"Um… you can let go if you want…" Makoto stuttered

"Do you want me to let go?" he shot back without missing a beat. Akira's expression was completely sincere. He wasn't teasing her, he was legitimately asking.

"N-No… I want to stay like this for a bit longer…" Makoto said, shocked at Akira's unwillingness to release her and at the realization that one of her wishes was coming true.

"Good. So do I" Akira said, pulling her even tighter. He then leaned her head onto the top of hers. The two simply stayed, sat with the boy holding the girl tightly for several hours. Conversation flowed, albeit somewhat unnaturally at first, but eventually, the two of them were comfortable sitting like this. Makoto's phone buzzed with Eiko's response. Neither bothered checking it.

By the end of the night, something had become acutely clear to the third year.

She liked Akira, but there was no doubt anymore. He definitely liked her back.

The question is, what would they do about these feelings for each other?


	3. Day 3 - Watching a Movie

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 3 - Watching a movie

xxx

A/N: Don't really know what to write here this time xD Thanks for all the reviews and follows and faves and whatnot :D Again, sorry for the irregular update schedule. Work is a bitch aha. I will get this done though :D Sorry for the length of this one too, it took me a real long time to even figure out where I wanted to go with it aha. Regardless, Enjoy :)

Xxx

Makoto paced nervously in front of the movie theatre. She often did this, it was a habit she picked up from Sae. She noticed a few people kept shooting glances at her and muttering to themselves. What she was doing wasn't that weird. She was just nervous is all…

She hadn't seen Akira properly for a while. Not one on one like she wanted, at any rate. Obviously, she'd joined him and the rest of the team on heists and whatnot but she missed hanging out with the leader.

That and her little crush on him had hit a fever pitch at this point.

That's why she invited him on what she considered a date. In all the manga she'd read and all the TV shows she'd watched, the movies were a classic choice. She could see the appeal. They'd be close to one another for over an hour, maybe she could hold his hand too...

It also helps that the movie, "Like a Dragon" was one she'd wanted to see since it's announcement.

So where was he? It wasn't like Akira to be late. He was usually very diligent in his timekeeping, it was something Makoto admired about him.

No sooner had this thought crossed her mind did she see a familiar bob of frizzy black hair cut through the crowd towards her. Makoto couldn't help but smile.

"Hey" Akira said with a grin on his face. Makoto had to hide a blush "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not really" she lied, she got here about an hour early to make sure everything was in order and that she looked presentable. "It's good to see you, though"

"Likewise" he beamed. "Shall we go in?"

"Let's" Makoto said, matching his expression.

As the two of them entered the movie theatre, they were greeted with the sight of quite a long line to get into the actual screen itself. This was surprising to Makoto at least. She didn't think anyone else liked this sort of movie. Yakuza flicks weren't something she'd ever heard her anyone at school talk about…

"Looks like we're stuck in the line for a little, huh?" Akira asked "Makes sense, it's opening weekend after all…"

Makoto had made a slight oversight.

"Ah… I'm sorry. I should have thought about that…" She had a somewhat dejected look on her face. It wasn't like her to make such mistakes.

"It's OK, Makoto" Akira said, placing a hand on her shoulder. As he did, she almost jumped back at his touch. She needed to get ahold of herself. "This way we can talk a little before the movie, so i'd say it worked out" He smiled. Makoto couldn't help but melt, but she picked up on something. She had noticed something a little different about her leader today. Normally, when they were alone, he was sarcastic and a bit snarky, but he was kind too. Here there was none of the teasing, he seemed different… Perhaps he was nervous? Makoto also noticed that he didn't have his bag with him which meant…

"You didn't bring Morgana?" Makoto inquired.

"Huh? Oh, no" Akira said, fidgeting slightly.

"Normally he goes everywhere with you. Is he sick or something?" Makoto enquired.

"No, thank god" Akira laughed. "Can you imagine what he'd be like? It'd be a _cat_ astrophe" he smirked at his own joke. He'd always had a penchant for bad puns. Sadly however, most of them went over Makoto's head.

"It would, he'd expect hand and foot service"

Akira smiled and shook his head "Nevermind"

"Wait, did you do it again!?" Makoto asked, the realisation dawning on her.

"He's fine, he's just hanging out at LeBlanc"

"You could have bought him if you wanted" Makoto lied. In reality she was glad that he wasn't here. However it was the polite thing to do, right?

"He'll be fine, honest. Besides, I got the impression that you wanted it to be just the two of us." He said, fidgeting again. "Makoto, can I ask you something?"

Makoto was caught off guard by his question. "Um… sure?" she said, surprised.

"What would you say if I were to turn this into…" He paused slightly, he looked somewhat askance. "A date. Not like a fake date, like with Eiko. But a real date. Just the two of us." he finally said.

"H-Huh?!" Makoto yelped in response. She was unsure how to respond.. She was excited on one hand. She had wanted this ever since that night in the cafe. Maybe things would move forward in the way she wanted now… But on the other hand, what if he was bringing it up because he thought she wasn't being direct enough?

"Do you… not want that?" He asked, he looked somewhat disappointed… "I thought…"

"No!" Makoto shouted quickly "That's… why I asked you here. I wanted this to be a date…"

Akira flashed his trademark grin, all embarrassment gone from his now incredibly confident persona. Makoto almost melted there and then. "Good, i'm glad. To be honest i've wanted to do this for a while…"

"So have I…" Makoto said, blushing. A thought entered her mind though, now that the whole awkward exchange was over. "You were really nervous, huh?" she giggled.

Akira rubbed the back of his neck. "Well a little, I guess. I was worried that you'd think I was being too forward"

"I like it when you're forward. It's… somewhat comforting."

A playful smile skirted across Akira's lips. "Oh really?" he said, barely able to contain his devilish idea. Without warning, he reached towards Makoto's hand, and took it tightly in his own. Makoto's heart almost exploded. "Is this OK?" he asked.

"Y-yeah… I like it…" Makoto barely stuttered out, a smile on her face that she just couldn't get rid of.

The line finally started to move into the screen itself. The two of them walked, hand in hand, towards the doors, and an usher stood waiting to greet them and check their tickets. "Just the two of you?" she asked, smiling.

"That's right" Akira smiled. "Just me and my date here". That comment made Makoto blush. He was proud to be seen with her, he was happy.

"You two look super cute together!" The usher enthused. "Enjoy the movie you guys"

"I'm sure we will, yeah Makoto?" he asked. Makoto looked at his face before she answered. This was a mistake.

He was smiling from ear to ear. Not his normal cheeky, cheshire, grin. But a genuine smile of joy. No matter what the future held for the two of them, as Phantom Thieves or as Students or whatever, nobody could take this memory away from either of them. Their first date.

"Yeah" She smiled back, her heart pounding with joy. "I'll never forget it".


	4. Day 4 - On a Date

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 4- On a Date

xxx

A/N: So like, i kinda used this one on the last chapter, but I think i'm putting a bit of a different spin on it than the last one. This one I actually had ideas for xD Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Makoto straightened her outfit out in the mirror again. At this point, she was _sure_ she was overthinking things again. She wanted things to go perfectly, and her brain was firing on full to make sure that everything went off without a hitch.

Tonight was her first real, planned, date with Akira. This time there was no awkward pussyfooting around the subject. This time they both knew going in what this was about.

They had arranged to meet at a restaurant that was known about Shujin for being a good date spot. In fact, Eiko had been telling Makoto all about how Tsukasa had taken her there not long ago, and how romantic it was.

She was a little intimidated to be honest. That was odd to her. She'd been punching literal monsters in the head (or whatever they had in place for a head) for two months or so and she'd never batted an eye. Spending a night getting dinner with the guy she liked was something else altogether…

Makoto had dressed somewhat formally. He'd seen her in this outfit before, but she liked it, it made her look sophisticated and ladylike. Her phone buzzed, signalling it was time for her to leave (Makoto was fastidious with her alarms). She grabbed her handbag and mentally prepared herself to face her first obstacle of the night, her elder sister, Sae.

Makoto wasn't sure how Sae would react to news that she was about to go off on a date. The most probable reaction was that she'd chew her out, and tell her that she shouldn't be concerning herself with such things until after she'd finished college. She might ask who it was, too. Somehow telling Sae that she was dating a criminal probably wasn't the best thing Makoto could do. As Makoto ran through all these scenarios in her mind, she saw her sister sitting on the couch poring over case notes as Makoto left her room. Sae turned her head at the sound. Her face became a mask of disapproval.

"It's late, you shouldn't be going out" Sae sighed.

"I can take care of myself, sis" Makoto laughed, trying to mask her nervousness.

"At least tell me where you're going" she raised an eyebrow as she sighed.

"Just to meet a friend" Makoto said. This wasn't strictly speaking a lie.

"Is it a boy?" Her sister asked, becoming increasingly impatient. Makoto wasn't really shocked by this, her sister had a tendency to go straight to the point.

"No, sis, jeez…" Makoto said. This _was_ strictly speaking a lie. "I'm meeting a girl from my class, we're just gonna study."

Sae eyed her sister for a moment, as if trying to figure her out. Makoto did her best to keep her face as still as possible. Any weakness, it'd be exploited and Sae would see right through her. There was a reason she was such a prolific prosecutor.

"OK" Sae eventually said, turning back. "Come back before 10, stay safe"

"Will do" Makoto said, not stopping to even breathe a sigh of relief until she was clean out of her apartment door.

She felt awful lying to her sister like that. Sae was all she had after all, after everything that's happened. To look her in the eyes and lie like that… Then again, she'd been lying to her about her involvement with the Phantom Thieves. What's one more?

xxx

After a short ride on the train, Makoto emerged from the underground to central square. It was bustling, even at this time of night, as was to be expected. A man stood giving a speech about the political state of the country, another was playing the guitar nearby and a small gathering of adults chatted in a designated smoking area. Makoto wasn't really looking for any of that, however, instead seeing a tall boy with frizzy black hair walking over to her, arm in the air in greeting.

"Hey, Makoto" Akira said, his face unable to contain a smile.

He was dressed in his casual clothes, a dark blazer, jeans, tan boots and a white shirt. Makoto had always liked his sense of style, it was sophisticated, but still had an air of teen rebellion about it. After he finished crossing the distance to her, he opened his arms and confidently embraced her into a tight hug.

Makoto gasped. Was this normal? Well of course it was, couples do this all the time, but still, his confidence sometimes overwhelmed her just a little bit, especially in matters such as this. After he released her, she knew that her face would be bright red…

"You ok there?" He chuckled

"That is so not fair!" she whined "You're taking advantage of me!"

A few heads of passersby turned to look at the two of them at that remark.

"Not so loud" Akira laughed, taking her by the hand. This she was comfortable with. Since the date at the movie theatre, the two of them often sat, holding hands like this. It had become normal for them, while they were studying, despite their relationship being brand-new. This physical closeness felt good, for the both of them. He led her by the hand down central street until they reached a small, but homely restaurant, tucked away in one of the many corners that made up Tokyo. The facade of the restaurant looked quite traditional but had several modernities built in. It wasn't dissimilar to LeBlanc.

"Is this OK?" Akira asked, looking unsure in his choice now. "I didn't know it'd be so… samey"

"It's perfect" Makoto replied, sighing in relief. A fancy restaurant, while nice, really wasn't her speed just yet. The two of them were dating, sure, but she needed to work up to something like that.

The duo seated themselves in the restaurant, Akira charming the waitress into giving them the best possible table. Near the window, in a relatively cosy little booth. It was homey, quaint, and comfortable. Something Makoto was after. She even ordered something safe, something familiar. She was still incredibly nervous… Why?

She was only going out with Akira, they'd done this so many times at this point.

"You OK there?" The young man chuckled over his cup of coffee. He looked so mature, it was comforting somewhat for Makoto. Even so, it seemed she couldn't hide her doubts. Her face was a picture of discomfort. Akira's face changed from his normal confident look to one of concern, the perfect pairing to Makoto's worry.

"Hey, for real though" he said, putting his cup down for emphasis. "What's up?"

"I'm just nervous I guess…" Makoto stuttered.

"Do you… want to cool things off?" Akira asked, trepidation tempering his question.

"No!" Makoto answered almost instantly, half shouting. After realising people were now looking at her, she lowered her tone. "I'm excited about this. It's all i've wanted for a while…"

"I tend to have that effect on people" Akira said, leaning back on his chair and twisting his lips into that boyish smirk Makoto found so charming. She simply brushed his comment off, she knew his little games to try and trap her into getting flustered.

"I just don't have a lot of experience, what if-" Makoto started bowing her head in some form of introspection, however, the presence of Akira's fingers on hers interrupted her train of thought. He took her hand in his from across the table and squeezed tightly. She looked up at the boy, seeing sincerity in his gaze.

"Don't worry about what if's, Makoto" he said, in the tone he used while commanding the team in battle. It was a voice that was dripping with determination, poise and certainty. When he spoke to her like this, she was convinced that nothing could go wrong, that no enemy could down them and that the world would bow at their feet.

"Focus on now" he said, almost commanding her to do so. "I like you… a lot. There's a lot to like. So I promise, things won't go wrong. I'm taking this seriously, as seriously as anything we've faced together so far. So don't worry…" He said, squeezing her hand once more for emphasis. "Because I promise there's nothing to worry about" He punctuated his little speech with a genuine, wholesome smile.

"Akira…" Makoto said breathlessly. She never expected anything resembling romance out of him, it was… soothing. "I'm taking this seriously too" She promised, returning his gaze. "I'm excited to see how this all plays out… because I like you a lot too…" she brushed one of the bangs out of her face.

"I'm glad" the boy smiled.

Makoto couldn't resist teasing him just a little bit. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms over her chest and tried her best to recreate Akira's smirk. She even cocked one of her eyebrows like he did. "Of course you are, I tend to have that effect on people" she said, trying to imitate his self-assurance as much as possible.

Akira simply laughed.

"Is that supposed to be me?"

"I thought I did a good job!" Makoto mock protested, still beaming.

"You did OK" Akira conceded, shrugging. "B+" he teased, adding a wink to his little barb.

"B+?!" Makoto exclaimed, still pretending to be outraged.

At that point, the waitress arrived with the young couple's food. With her uneasiness gone, Makoto wished she'd maybe ordered something a little more exciting. However, she no longer cared all that much.

xxx

The two walked through Central Street closely, hand in hand, with full bellies. Makoto had genuinely enjoyed her evening despite her initial uneasiness. The two of them laughed on the way to her subway platform.

"Well I think it's cool" Makoto added, trying to round out their conversation.

"Oh no doubt, he's riding on a pirate ship" Akira conceded.

"So what's your point?" she giggled

"That mine's cooler…" He said, smirking, as they arrived at the subway platform. "This is you then" he said, sounding more than a little disappointed.

"I had a really great time tonight, thank you" Makoto smiled at the boy

"Likewise" he added.

Akira opened his arms to invite Makoto into a hug. With no hesitation, she accepted, swiftly surrounding herself in his embrace. Makoto was surprised by his arms. Akira didn't look athletic, particularly. Yes, he was tall, but he looked more scrawny than anything. However, he had a surprising strength in this embrace. She felt safe, like a Queen in her castle…

The two pulled apart, but kept their hands on each other. His on her waist and hers on his chest. There was a moment of hesitation before they pulled away. Makoto saw something in his eyes. Something deep and almost primal. A longing, a need to be closer. Makoto felt it too. The atmosphere between them was intense. The other people around her wouldn't normally warrant her attention anyway but now she was standing here with him it was like nobody else existed.

"Makoto?" he asked

"Yes?" she replied, not breaking his gaze for even a second.

Was this it?

She could see his face moving closer to hers, could feel his hands pulling her closer to him. She closed her own eyes, and leaned toward him herself, could feel his breath on her face and then…

She felt a man bump into her, she heard the subway announcer tell the whole platform her train had arrived. Finally she heard her phone ring.

The moment, whatever it was, had gone.

Akira had noticed this too, releasing her. "You should probably answer that" he laughed sheepishly.

Makoto fished around in her bag for her phone. When she found it, she couldn't keep her eyes from rolling when she saw who was calling. The universe had *very* specific timing.

"It's my sister" Makoto told him. "I should probably take it, she's even more of a worrier than I am"

"That I can imagine" Akira chuckled, recovering from whatever had thrown him. "We should do this again though" he smiled.

"Definitely" Makoto answered with a huge smile of her own to match.

After one more quick hug and a promise to text each other once they got home, Makoto stepped onto the subway car. The doors slid shut almost immediately and Akira sped away from view as the train hurtled towards it's next stop. Makoto's phone was still ringing. She decided to answer straight away, no use keeping Sae waiting.

"Hey, Sis"

"Where are you, I told you to be back before 10" Sae asked. She sounded exhausted.

"I'm on the subway, i'll be 10 minutes. Don't worry i'm fine" Makoto assured her.

"Good…" Sae said with a long exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry for being so stressed out"

"It's fine, sis, honest"

"It's just I know what this city is like, Makoto"

"I can take care of myself, i did martial arts same as you, remember?"

"I know" Sae chortled. "You almost broke Dad's arm that one time"

"Yeah…" Makoto smiled. It was a smile tempered with sadness however. They both knew how much their Dad had meant to them.

"I forget about that sometimes… That you're a young woman, I mean" Sae clarified. "I'll be less hard on you about going out from now on, but you have to keep your grades up. Deal?"

"Deal" Makoto said, nodding in agreement, even though her sister couldn't see her.

"Just promise me one more thing, Makoto?"

"Yeah?"

"Please, don't fall in with a bad crowd. I don't know who you met tonight but-"

"Don't worry" Makoto said, cutting her off. "This one's not like everyone else"

"Oh?" Sae said, intrigued.

"I'll see you soon, Sis" Makoto said, hanging up the phone, acutely aware she'd probably already said too much.

Makoto threw her head back against the headrest of her seat, thinking back to those last few moments with Akira.

And wishing she'd had just another few seconds to see what happened next.


	5. Day 5 - Kissing

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 5- Kissing

xxx

A/N: These first 5 chapters actually flow together really fuckin' well, i'm mad I didn't do this for Lovers in Fragments xD After this, things start to get a little bit more off the wall, so expect me to fuck around with chronology at that point aha. Also, i'm sorry for no update! I promise i've always got this fic in the back of my mind even when it's not updating on the reg aha. Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Makoto had started to feel a great sense of familiarity just being in LeBlanc. The cozy atmosphere, the aromatic smell of the coffee beans, the way the entire building creaked when you walked around. All these things were just small ways she'd started to fall in love with the coffee house. Her father would have said the building had "character". She'd started to relish the sight of it, thanks in no small part to the young man behind the counter brewing coffee for her.

Her relationship with Akira had been progressing well as of late. While her inexperience could often leave her flustered at times, she'd started settling into it well. She'd started picking up on his little habits, for one. For instance, before, she often took note of him spinning his phone around on top of his finger when he was bored (much to her chagrin, she was sure he'd drop it and it looked expensive). Now however, she realised he did it whenever he was anxious, too. Another one of those little things was something he was doing now, he'd hum to himself as he brewed coffee. The song was always different, but without fail, if Akira was at the coffee grinder, you'd hear him before you saw him. It was a rare sight for Makoto to see her usually stern Joker so carefree.

It was of course a sight she couldn't just let go by without teasing.

"Which song is this, maestro?" she giggled as Akira placed a coffee in front of her

"Huh?" Akira asked, blinking with genuine surprise.

"Wait…" Makoto paused, her face matching Akira's "Do you really not know you're doing it?"

"Doing what?"

"The humming! You do it all the time" Makoto enthused. "You change up the song a lot but you do it whenever you make coffee. It's nice, it makes the place feel…" Makoto paused as she searched for the right word before settling on "Homey."

Akira simply beamed.

"I didn't think you were picking up on that kind of stuff" he said, with admiration in his voice. "It's really sweet"

Pride swelled in Makoto's chest at his words. Despite feeling more comfortable in their relationship, Makoto still often felt anxious that she was making too many missteps. For instance, they hadn't even kissed yet. They'd come close, but every time something meant they had to cut their time together short, and neither of them wanted to rush it. It had to be special. Hell, she wasn't even sure if she was his girlfriend or not. They were dating, definitely, but neither of them had said anything that concrete. Apparently sensing this doubt, Akira piped up, to try and take her mind off such things.

"Speaking of stuff we should be doing" Akira started, a look of concern on his face

"We weren't talking about that" Makoto smirked "And I don't appreciate your tone"

"You wound me" Akira said, acting like Makoto's little barb had physically injured him "I would never joke about such things" he continued, his cheshire grin stretching from ear to ear. Makoto's expression matched his. Akira's smile was very infectious. "You should really get that paperwork finished" he said, pointing towards the pile of forms next to Makoto's coffee cup. All of them to do with the student council and all of them, very boring. Makoto could get them done in twenty minutes if she got in the zone, but the young barista was very distracting. Makoto often found that to be true. She could easily get lost in their conversations.

"I can't do them if you keep distracting me" she laughed softly, taking a sip of coffee.

Akira's face then changed. He was thinking, no, plotting something.

 _This can't be good_ Makoto thought, though she was at the very least intrigued as to where he was going with this. Finally, his expression became resolute.

"I'm gonna make you a deal" Akira said, flashing his winning smile at Makoto.

"Oh really?" she asked, curiously

"Finish that section" he said, as he gestured towards the end of the document Makoto was currently writing up. It was something to do with a club budget that needed approval. It basically just required a signature. Makoto looked it over, dated and then signed it, before looking expectantly at Akira.

"Now what?" Makoto said, putting the sheet to one side.

To her surprise, Akira took her hand in his, and raised it up to his face before planting a kiss on it, just like dignitaries or princes would do to a queen in a movie or something. Needless to say, Makoto felt the flush rise to her cheeks, she sat there speechless, while Akira explained his terms to her.

"Every time you finish one, you'll get a kiss like that, only i'll make it more…" he paused. Makoto wasn't sure whether that was so he could find the word or for dramatic effect. "...Intense each time. Sound good?" Akira asked, still holding her hand

"What do you mean intense?" Makoto said, barely able to get the words out without tripping over them. She knew he was bold, but this?

"Wouldn't you like to know, Ms. President?" he said, his voice once again dripping with self-confidence.

"Promise you won't go too far?" Makoto asked, worried that he might be thinking a little too far ahead.

"Hey, honor among thieves right?" Akira joked before following up with "Promise. Now get to work if you want your next reward."

Akira leaned back against the back wall so as to watch Makoto work, which she now did with more speed and perhaps a little bit of nervousness. But even now, still clearly flustered by his advance, she worked through the paperwork at a remarkable rate. Her eruditeness was something that he truly admired.

Makoto began to work in silence, focusing almost completely on her work, the only thing besides the stack of paperwork she was aware of were Akira's eyes watching over her. The next document was again another club budget sheet. Wouldn't take long, she just had to make sure all the numbers added up and sign off, which she did so in record time. Makoto had long since abandoned her need for a calculator, she found it much easier to do all this in her head. The moment her pen left the paper after signing her name, she looked up at Akira, with a little trepidation but mostly expectation

"That was fast" Akira chuckled. "I should have remembered how good you are at this stuff before I cut this deal"

Akira leaned over the counter and cupped Makoto's face in his hand. She was always surprised just how soft his hands were… As she was focusing on this detail, however, she felt Akira's lip on her forehead. And, once again, she felt a deep blush rise up. She largely ignored it

"At this rate" she said, bragging just a little in an attempt to keep herself calm "You're gonna have to bust out your endgame in about ten minutes"

"Sure, Prez" he laughed "If you can keep time"

Another document. This one was a bit longer. Makoto skimmed it. A proposal for a new club. This one would need a bit more time. She still worked quickly through the proposal. After she finished, she waited patiently for Akira's next move.

"You promise you're not skipping stuff just to be done faster?" He teased, taking her face in his hand once again. This time, Makoto steeled herself for the kiss. She knew if she blushed anymore she'd look more like a tomato than a person. She closed her eyes and waited. Half of her was nervous, wanting to call the whole thing off. The other half, however, was about to die from anticipation. She couldn't wait to see where he was going with this.

She felt his lips press up against her left cheek. She didn't realise at first due to her surprise and nerves but his lips were softer than she thought they would be, much like his hands. Maybe he has a skincare routine? That would be surprising. She could also feel just a little bit of stubble on his face. That thought excited her just a little bit. The contrast of textures was a bit weird, but this felt right. That said, she couldn't help but want more.

"Don't rush now" Akira said with a wink.

"I'm not rushing" Makoto said

"Oh really? Cause your handwriting is looking a little shaky there"

Makoto laughed the boy off as she reached for her next bit of paperwork. Something something club something. She wasn't really paying attention to it anymore, she just wrote out a placeholder response, the council would have to discuss it together anyway, and signed off on it, practically throwing her pen onto the counter and looking at Akira expectantly.

"I'm not going anywhere you know" Akira chuckled

Makoto said nothing, but did smile at his little joke.

She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but feeling his lips on the tip of her nose was right out of left field. It was almost enough to make her laugh out loud. Just like with his humming, it was odd to see him so carefree. If you'd met Akira for more than five seconds you'd never expect this kind of behaviour from him. Makoto felt somewhat honored that he was so comfortable sharing this side of himself with her.

"Hey would you look at that?" Akira exclaimed as he pulled away "Looks like you're all done"

Makoto blinked in shock. True enough, all of the paperwork she was working on had been set aside in her "Done" pile.

"Oh…" Makoto whimpered, more than a little disappointed. She wanted to keep going with this "activity". Akira's method of motivating her definitely worked. Apparently Akira noticed this, as once again, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, since you managed to finish so quickly, i'm gonna sweeten the deal" he said, barely able to mask the confidence in his voice.

"Sweeten the Deal?" Makoto asked, her curiosity piqued.

Akira's smile got even broader, if that were possible, as he held one of his fingers up to Makoto

"You may give this humble Joker one command, your majesty!" he exclaimed, completely deadpan. He was committing to the bit completely.

"What are you talking about?" Makoto laughed at his theatricality.

"Whatever you want, i'll do it" Akira said. "And I can't back out"

"What if i make you do something gross?"

"The Queen's Orders are absolute" Akira said with another wink.

Makoto's mind started to race. She could just ask him to do something ludicrous, she was enjoying seeing this side of him so maybe she could indulge that? She could ask him to keep kissing her… she _definitely_ wanted that. She'd been wanting to kiss him properly for a while.

Then Makoto hit her mark.

"Ok" she said, resolutely, her face a mask of calm despite the nervousness now building in her chest. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. "I've made my decision"

"Your wish is my command, majesty" Akira continued to joke, even bowing a little.

"I'm gonna just say this" she said, matter of factly. "I want you to be my boyfriend".

Akira blinked in shock, his facade dropping completely. Makoto had to hold back a smirk. She'd never seen this boy completely lose his composure before. If she wasn't waiting with baited breath for his reply, she probably would have teased him for it.

After a second or two, Akira blinked hard and picking his jaw up off the floor.

"OK" he said, his smile broad, warm and gentle. "Let's do it. You can call me your boyfriend"

Makoto's heart soared. All her previous anxieties about where this was going had melted away as he spoke, replaced instead with excitement, joy and hope.

"You promise?" Makoto asked, one more time, unable to keep the smile off her face.

Instead of answering, Akira reached over and leaned in for one more kiss, just like before. However, this time, he wasn't going for her head or nose.

As the young couple's lips touched, the world seemed to fade away completely around them. They were alone here, in this moment. As she felt him press against her, she kissed him back. A delicate back and forth dance played across the two of them. His hand came up and once again cupped her cheek. Normally this wouldn't be so bad but in her elated state, his mere touch was electric. After what seemed like an eternity, and even that wasn't nearly long enough, he pulled away, but leaving his head resting against Makoto's and spoke three words in almost a whisper, a promise made just for the two of them.

"Honor among thieves"


	6. Day 6 - Wearing Each Other's Clothes

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 6- Wearing each other's clothes

xxx

A/N: So I hit writer's block for this one pretty hard, hence why it took so long xD Also happy 2018, I guess xD I'm not dead! And this fic is still updating, unless I put something in the description saying otherwise or I die, i'm seeing this through to the end :) I'm a busy guy, not got a lot of free time on my hands. In case anyone is wondering, what with the protag's new name being announced and all, i'm sticking with the name Akira for now. That might change, however, and if it does i'll just Ctrl + F it xD For now, enjoy this shit. I honestly couldn't think of a good one for this prompt. Sorry this one is so short! Not all of these are gonna be 1000+, some will be a lot shorter aha. Regardless, Enjoy :)

Xxx

"Can I ask you something?" Makoto asked as lazy morning sunlight filtered down through what passed for curtains in Akira's attic room.

"Sure" Akira chuckled as he lay next to her.

The young couple had gotten quite used to sharing a bed at this point. Makoto often did this out of convenience more than anything, if a mission was being planned being near LeBlanc saved her time, and Akira's place was closer to school than her's. Seeing her boyfriend was of course, the icing on this little cake for Makoto. It never really affected the adults in either situation. Sae never noticed Makoto wasn't in her room, she was far too wrapped up in her work and was getting home pretty late. Sojiro just smiled and winked at Akira whenever he left the two of them in the shop together of a night. She never really understood why, they were just sleeping in the same bed, that's normal for couples, right?

Makoto sat up in bed to ask her question, while Akira just continued to lie there with his hands behind his head.

"Your glasses" Makoto inquired as she grabbed them off the nightstand and turned them over in her hand. "You don't wear them in the Metaverse"

"An excellent observation as always, detective! What, the bird mask give that one away?" Akira smirked

"Shut up." Makoto sighed as she playfully hit him on the arm. "What I mean is why do you even wear them? You don't need them to see, that much is obvious. Do you do it to look cool or something?"

"Please, I don't need any help in that department."

"God, I forgot how much of a jerk you are in the mornings." Makoto groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation

"I don't think i'm a jerk, I just think you have a low tolerance for banter in the mornings."

"You're impossible" Makoto sighed, while Akira just continued to grin at his girlfriend. "Just tell me."

"Honestly?" Akira said, looking somewhat earnest as he lifted himself to a sitting position and taking the glasses from the girl. "Dad told me to wear them."

This shockingly honest response surprised Makoto so much she had to stop herself from audibly gasping. Akira rarely talked about his past, even with her. To her knowledge, in the whole time they'd known each other he'd mentioned his parents maybe once? This would be enlightening to say the least. Makoto waited with baited breath for the boy to continue his story.

"Before I came out here, they gave me this whole lecture about how I had to keep my nose clean and stay out of trouble. They also said that if I somehow end up in juvie, they wouldn't be coming to bail me out. Guess that plan worked out well, I only ended up a wanted criminal." Akira smiled, but not his normal cheshire grin. It was a more forlorn, sad kind of smile.

Makoto couldn't help but feel emotional about seeing him like this. It was odd to see her fearless leader so vulnerable. On the one hand, she wanted to hold him tight and not let go. On the other, she felt somewhat privileged that she was privy to this completely unseen side of him. She felt that he trusted her enough to start tearing away a few layers of his glib and wit and let her see what was underneath. Not that she didn't love that side of him of course.

Love?

That's a strong word…Not an inaccurate word, just… strong.

"Anyway…" Akira continued. "Dad gave me these just before I left. He told me that people with glasses look more trustworthy. He said he read it in a science journal or something, but I think he was pulling it out of his ass" he chuckled to himself at his jive.

"When did you last speak to your Dad?" Makoto asked, genuinely concerned. She knew too well the pain of losing her parents. Granted, her father was dead, but at least she could take comfort in the fact that her father died loving her and her sister. Akira's father might not even care about his son anymore… In a way, that's worse, knowing that your father is out there but he doesn't even care about you enough to check in with you or help you out of a jam. Makoto couldn't imagine how she'd deal with something like that.

"Not since I left. He just gave me some money and told me to keep my head down..." Akira's voice dropped as he spoke, and Makoto knew she had to do something.

Before Akira could see it coming, Makoto had taken Akira's glasses out of his hands, flicked the arms open and put them onto her face. Despite knowing that they weren't corrective lenses, Makoto was still shocked to see that they didn't distort her vision at all. She put that down just to her cognition of how glasses worked. She pushed the thick frames up her nose and made a flourish with her hand.

"Well, how do I look?" She asked, cheerily.

Akira was stunned a little, his face a picture of surprise. This girl, this impossibly wonderful girl, his Queen, was trying so hard to cheer him up that he couldn't help but feel the warmth swell in his chest and his face crack into a big goofy grin for the first time in a long time.

"It's certainly a look" he said alongside a full bodied laugh.

"Oh my god, what are you doing with your face?!" Makoto exclaimed, in genuine surprise at The Fool's dopey smile. Her teasing seemed to break the spell however, as his trademark smirk returned.

"Don't worry about that, more importantly, did you just steal from the greatest thief alive?" his eyes flashed with an idea.

"Maybe I did." She teased, grinning coyly and lowering her new spectacles so she could look over them. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"You steal from a thief, he has to steal something of yours, that's Thieves' Code" he said.

"And what are you gonna steal?" she giggled.

Before Makoto knew what was happening, Akira's hands were on her, pinning her back down onto the bed with the speed and grace she expected of him. She'd always been amazed by the way he moved. He flowed like water, and if you blinked you'd miss it completely. Makoto playfully yelped as her boyfriend straddled her. As he did, he leaned in close to her ear.

"As a Phantom Thief, I think it's only right that I try to steal your heart, Your Majesty." he said in a low, primal tone.

"It's yours." Makoto whispered, breathlessly.

"Wasn't much of a challenge."

"You can't steal what you've always had. I thought you'd know that, being a master thief."

"I'll settle for a lesser prize then."

"And what's that?"

"Today, Your Highness, i'll steal a kiss."

Before either of the two could say anything else, their lips were on each other's, dancing a familiar yet exciting dance. The unbridled passion between The Queen and her Joker was palpable. As they kissed, Makoto ran her hands through the boy's hair, along his broad shoulders and down his slender back. He meanwhile simply cupped her sweet, fair face in his hand. Eventually, the two reluctantly separated. First lips, then hands, then bodies, until Akira was standing on the floor next to the bed.

"I'll go make us some breakfast." He smiled. Makoto moved to get up and help but he stopped her before she could.

"No no. You relax" he smiled sweetly and then planted a quick kiss on her forehead before making his way towards the stairs. As he reached them however, he turned around to address her one more time.

"They really do suit you, by the way" he said as he beamed a genuine smile before disappearing into the cafe below, leaving Makoto alone with her thoughts and his glasses.

The girl took off the thick rimmed specs to put them back on his nightstand, but before she could she became lost in thought.

She was falling for him. Hard. No two ways about it. If every morning could be like this morning, Makoto would give anything for that future, for him.

She just had to find some way to tell him...


	7. Day 7 - Cosplaying

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 7- Cosplaying

xxx

A/N: Jeez, I forgot how esoteric some of these can be xD Another quick reminder that these scenes are in no chronological order! I hope this works out though! I decided to lean into the anxiety shit that I kind of set up in earlier chapters for this one. Idk, I feel like Makoto is the kind of person that suffers with it, despite her commanding tone and whatnot. Again, I know this one is less fluff and kissy and stuff, but I feel like there's room in this fic for more than just that (And we're gonna get straight back on that next time, most likely). This is just a very good way to get the rest of the cast in here. Just one more quick one to say thank you for all the glowing reviews so far. They all mean the world to me 3 Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Makoto looked over her work in the mirror of the hotel room. The suit that Ann had chosen fit her well, and she'd styled her hair perfectly. The prop gun thing that Yuuske had whipped up for her looked great too. What did Futaba call it? A Dominator? Surely she was making that up…

She'd never been to a convention before. She never had the time between all the studying and the student council work and whatnot. Besides, conventions were expensive, and her budget was tight. But now she was earning part-time, money was less of an object.

And given that they'd successfully stolen another corrupt heart, It was decided by their glorious leader that by way of celebration, The Phantom Thieves would take Tokyo Anime Expo by storm. He also made the decision that they'd all do so in costume.

Makoto was up for it, but it made her a little bit nervous. She'd never really done costumed… anything before. As such she decided to go with something she could reasonably achieve, something she could replicate accurately and something she loved. As such, her costume was inspired by her favourite show, and the main character therein. A police officer that chased after justice while trying to reform the corrupt judicial system. Sounded perfect for her.

"You sure you don't need anymore makeup, Makoto?" asked Ann, who was stood next to her, applying the finishing touches to her rather military costume, an image of a unicorn on a field of green emblazoned on her shoulder. She failed to see the point of putting a blonde wig over her already blonde hair, but cutting hair like Ann's would be a crime in itself to Makoto so she let it slide.

"If I say no promise you won't eat me?" Makoto teased, fiddling with her collar. She just couldn't get it to stay quite right…

"No promises" Ann winked.

"I swear you just chose that character so you could just respond to your own name all day" Makoto laughed.

"I won't lie, that was part of it" Ann smiled. "Gotta commend you though, Makoto, you look great! It's like you *are* the character"

Makoto looked herself over in the mirror one more time and had to conclude the same. She had to grow her hair out a little bit, but otherwise it was more or less a one to one.

"Thanks" Makoto said, taking a weird kind of pride in this. "So who's everyone else dressing up as?" she asked.

"The word is Cosplay!" she heard a shrill voice yell from the bedroom. A voice that could only belong to Futaba.

"How did you even hear us through that mask?" Ann asked, rolling her eyes slightly. "Anyway… Ryuji is from some Shonen thing i've never heard of" Ann chuckled. "Yuuske said he's doing something 'Avant-Garde'. I have no idea what that means, but it'll be interesting at least. Haru said she's torn between a few different ideas, but I think she settled on that magical girl from that one show. And of course, Futaba's doing something from Featherman."

It was at that point that the small hacker burst into the already cramped ensuite, in full Featherman garb, deep blue in colour.

"It's not just 'Something from Featherman', i'm Feather Swan! The deeply analytical and intelligent backbone of the team!" Futaba enthused. Though Makoto nor Ann could see Futaba's face thanks to her helmet, they knew that it was screwed up in a mix of frustration and excitement. "And I still think we missed a trick by not all going as Featherrangers. Akira could have been Hawk, obviously, and Ryuji would make a great Falcon… But Asas would be a problem."

Makoto knew she was gonna regret asking this but even so… "Why would Asas be a problem?"

"Cause Asas is Hawk's girlfriend, duh." said Futaba, like she had just told them that water is wet.

Ann and Makoto avoided each other's gaze for a moment. They knew what she meant…

"Ann is a more obvious choice for the part but you have first hand experience, huh, Makoto?" Futaba smirked under her helmet.

"Ok that's enough out of you, short round" Ann said, as she ushered the younger girl out of the bathroom.

"It's Feather Swan!" Futaba yelped as she struggled against the elder girl's shoves. To no avail though as Ann eventually got her out of the ensuite and locked the door.

Makoto wasn't really sure how to feel about that.

"Hey… You ok?" Ann asked her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah" Makoto forced a smile.

It was no secret to either of them that Ann used to hold some feelings for Akira before Makoto came along. While Akira swore he never reciprocated those feelings, and Ann swore that she was over him, Makoto still felt kind of anxious whenever the subject was brought up. Ann was everything Makoto wasn't. She was gorgeous, exotic, upbeat, cutesy, all traits she thought guys liked. She just couldn't get past the idea that if things had been just a little bit different…

She knew she was being silly. Regardless of what had happened in the past, everything was going great between her and Akira right now, he'd said so many times how crazy he was about her, and there's no way that Ann would ever try and sabotage that relationship. It just wouldn't happen. Ever. The logical part of her knew that.

So then why couldn't Makoto get the image of the two of them together out of her head?

"Hey, why are you sad, i'm the one that just got humiliated by a spaceman" Ann laughed in an attempt to cheer her up.

This seemed to work somewhat as Makoto forced a laugh and then did what she always did when she felt this pit in her stomach. She breathed in and counted to five before releasing. She did this five times and the feeling went away. A little trick that her sister had taught her to at the very least put these thoughts to the back of her mind. It seemed to help ease the knot she was feeling.

"Better?" Ann asked with a genuine smile.

"Better" Makoto said, returning Ann's expression in kind.

This is why Makoto was proud to call Ann her best friend, she understood her better than she understood herself, especially in situations like this.

It was at that point the two of them heard a knock on the door to the bathroom.

"Futaba, we're busy in here, just hold on, OK?"

"MWPSB, Open up, ladies" said a voice from behind the door that most definitely wasn't Futaba's.

Ann moved to unlock the door and standing there, resplendent in his costume, was Akira. His costume was very similar to Makoto's, with a fitted suit and the same weird gun thing. However, his hair was styled very differently to how it normally was, with an upwards coif. He'd also replaced his trademark spectacles with a fake cigarette.

"Inspector" he nodded towards Makoto with a knowing smirk. He was portraying her subordinate from the show perfectly. "And who are you?" He asked Ann.

"Military Police" Ann winked. "I'll leave the two of you alone" she said. Before she left however, she leaned in to Makoto to whisper in her ear. "If he starts to get rough, remember you're the one holding a _dominator_ , don't be afraid to shock him if you need to" she teased before she skipped out of the small bathroom to slam the door behind her.

"Nothing like that's gonna happen, Ann! Jeez!" she shouted through the door, her face a deep crimson.

"Hey" Akira chuckled, dropping his act, and pulling Makoto into a tight hug that she warmly accepted and returned. "What do you think, pretty good huh?" he said doing a little spin.

"It's good… Not as good as mine but…" Makoto said, laughing. She'd already forgotten about earlier. He had that effect on her…

"It was this or be Ren Amamiya from that show God Eater" he laughed "Can you imagine me with a name like that?"

"I dunno, I kind of like it…" Makoto ruminated. It was a surprisingly good fit for him…

"Anyway, Inspector, shall we get underway?" Akira said, spinning his model gun around his finger.

"Hold on… just one more finishing touch…" said Makoto, playfully.

Without warning, she grabbed Akira by the scruff of the neck and pulled him in for a long, deep, kiss. For a moment, he was shocked, before leaning into it, running his hands through her hair. She needed that, somewhat. More for herself than anything. Everything was OK.

"Where did that come from?" Akira asked, surprised but smiling.

"Ok then, Enforcer" Makoto said, in character once again and knowingly ignoring his question. "You're to do as I say today, got that? Any insubordination and i'll zap you" she said in a mock stern voice, pointing her gun at him

Akira halfheartedly saluted and chuckled "Yes ma'am, message recieved"

"Sounds Kinky…" said someone from behind the door, obviously listening in.

"Futaba!"


	8. Day 8 - Shopping

**Persona 5 - Toast to the Queen**

Akira/Makoto

Day 8- Shopping

xxx

A/N: Hey! Guess who isn't dead! This fic is very much a "Do it when the mood takes me" kind of thing, and the mood has taken me. Sorry for the infrequency of this. I'm a busy boy xD I' gonna try to get better at updating though, so I might actually finish this in the next 3 decades xD You might have noticed our new cover art, by JXA. Apparently enough people like this fic that it's inspired art? I'm both confused and honoured xD This one ain't too long as I just wanted to get back into the swing of things. But I had a lot of fun! Expect more frequent updates in the future :D Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

"This is where you get our weapons?" Makoto asked, eyebrow raised quizzically.

She wasn't sure what she expected when she asked to go with Akira to "restock" as he called it. As the lieutenant to the Phantom Thieves, she figured she should be at least somewhat familiar with their supply chain, even if she wasn't going to run those operations herself.

Untouchable was certainly a unique store… it seemed kinda skeevy given the location and the guy behind the counter. There was an inherent air of danger in here, like at any moment someone might jump out from behind one of the shelves and attack Makoto. At the same time however, it felt weirdly safe… secure.

Makoto concluded this might be what a prison feels like.

It was odd to her then that her boyfriend felt so comfortable walking around in here. He had this natural ability to fit in no matter where he went, or whoever he was associating with. It was something Makoto truly admired, given that she often had difficulty operating outside of her comfort zone.

"You were expecting maybe some kind of boutique?" Akira smirked.

"I honestly didn't know what to expect" She responded, still looking around, partly in wonder, partly in trepidation. "Are you sure this place is on the level?"

"Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen to you in here. Just don't ask too many questions." said the tattooed man behind the counter, fiddling with a model gun. At least Makoto thought it was a model, it looked so real… "What do you need this time, kid?" he said, addressing Akira.

"I'm here for your pleasant company, Iwai, as always". Even with this somewhat scary dude, Akira was self assured as always. Makoto had to conclude that they knew eachother. Akira often spoke of people in the city that he'd made deals with, perhaps this Iwai was one of them? It'd certainly explained how they knew one another so well.

"Cute" the man scoffed.

"In all seriousness, I need to talk to you. Can I come in the back?" He dropped his smirk, a serious look in his eyes.

"Sure, if you tell me who the girl is." Iwai said, sternly, taking his eyes off the weapon he was holding to size up Makoto.

"She's my bodyguard, can't you tell?" Akira chortled. This did nothing to calm Makoto's nerves. She was used to getting looks like this from adults, friends of her sister, even Shadows would occasionally do this, but something about Iwai didn't sit well with her. His man's gaze was heavy, and piercing, it bored right into Makoto, and she found she couldn't look away, despite how unnerved she was. This was a man who'd seen the darker side of the world.

"I'm not kidding." Iwai said, still not breaking his gaze. "Who's the girl, Akira?"

"Sh-" Akira started, however, Makoto cut him off.

"My name is Makoto Niijima." she bowed, deeply, partly to show respect and partly so that she wouldn't have to look this Iwai in the eye anymore. "I'm the student council president at Shujin Academy."

Iwai paused for a moment, his hand on his chin, contemplating what just happened.

"You're his girlfriend, aren't you?" Iwai laughed, pleased with himself that he'd figured it out.

Makoto couldn't keep herself from blushing. Looking over to Akira, it seemed that he too was overcome with embarrassment.

"H-how did you know?" she asked.

"I didn't, but you just told me" Iwai laughed again, setting his model down. "Besides, nobody I know can cut that kid off when he gets going, so you must be someone special." Makoto inwardly cursed herself for playing into the trap so easily.

"She's cute, Akira, you're punching above your weight" Iwai said with a smirk, unlocking the small hatch on the side of the counter to allow Akira into the back.

"Sh-shut up, man" Akira said, keeping his head bowed to hide his blush-stained cheeks.

 _This is interesting_. Makoto thought, she had never seen Akira speechless before. Even when she teased him he always had some glib comeback ready, if she didn't know better she could have sworn he practiced them, but this was unprecedented. It would be completely irresponsible of her to mock him now. Entirely and completely awful. Unthinkable, even. The social embarrassment would be too great, even for him.

"Please. If he tried to punch me, he'd be flat on the ground unconscious." Makoto said, flashing her boyfriend a grin.

Iwai burst into full on laughter "Oh man, I like you!"

Akira remained wordless as Iwai pulled him into a headlock. "Good to know who wears the pants in this relationship!"

"Knock it off, man!" Akira shouted, trying and failing to struggle out of the hold.

Makoto couldn't help but giggle at her boyfriend's misfortune. It was so unlike him to ever be caught off guard by anything, he always seemed so infallible, so perfect, she forgot that he was a teenage boy sometimes. Younger than her, even. To see this more human side of the boy was not only refreshing, but also endearing.

Finally, Iwai let Akira and gestured his head towards the back, prompting Akira to get moving. Iwai lingered for a moment to talk to Makoto.

"We probably won't be too long, just shop talk." He said, his expression darkening at the mention of 'shop talk'. What exactly did he mean by that?

"Feel free to take a look around, there's some martial arts stuff over there somewhere" he said, gesturing towards a corner of the store. "Word of advice though, Ms. Niijima? Probably best if you don't go around yelling your full name in here. Get a lotta… less than scrupulous types in here."

"Don't worry, sir, I can take care of myself" Makoto said, an expression of certainty on her face.

"You can keep that delinquent in line, so I don't doubt that" the man chuckled, before bidding Makoto farewell and heading into the back of the store, leaving the student council president alone with her thoughts.

As she meandered into the back of the shop, to look at nothing in particular, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. If only her sister could see her now. Hanging out in a weapons store while her criminal boyfriend spoke to the owner in the back as she was looking for equipment to be a better thief. It was almost comical. Sae would kill her if she found out what was going on. She thought about that a lot, what her sister would think about her. Would Sae approve? Almost definitely not. Even if Makoto explained it to her, Sae was pretty adamant in her beliefs about what's right and wrong. Maybe if Akira talked to her though… He was always pretty good at getting people around to his way of thinking. She'd have to meet him at some point, that was an inevitability, Makoto could only imagine how that conversation would go down. It'd be hilarious.

So lost she was in her thoughts, that Makoto didn't hear the footsteps as they snuck up behind her.

Before she knew it Makoto's world was black. Someone was covering her eyes.

 _Shit_

"Gue-"

Before her attacker could finish talking, Makoto was already moving. She drove her elbow into his solar plexus, hard, knocking the wind out of him. As the man's hands pulled away from her face, giving her her vision back Makoto grabbed his arm and swept her foot backwards, knocking her assailant, and a considerable amount of Iwai's merchandise, down to the ground. As he groaned in pain, she turned to give the man a piece of her mind...

Only to see Akira writhing on the ground in pain.

"Yup" He managed to get out. "Good one. Solid hit, great form".

"Oh my gosh, i'm so sorry! Are you ok?!" The girl asked, dropping to the ground to help her now disgraced leader up.

"Yup" he grunted, putting on a brave face. He was far from OK, Makoto hit him with everything she had.

Iwai could barely stand he was laughing so hard.

"Man the way she laid you out!" he said, nearly choking on his words.

"I don't think i've ever seen you so expressive, Iwai" Akira sputtered, barely hiding his contempt for his friend.

"I'm so sorry about the mess, sir" Makoto said, resisting the urge to drop into a bow lest she stop supporting her boyfriend.

"Don't worry about it, it was worth it" Iwai said, still laughing. "Don't ever let this one go, kid"

"Don't plan on it" Akira said, offering Makoto a weak smile as his breathing started to return. "I'm scared of what she'd do to me, otherwise"


End file.
